Detroit Brazilian jujitsu gym provides community and personal growth for people wanting to learn new skill

When you walk into 313 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the gym is full of the clamor of heavy breathing and the occasional grunt. As your gaze sweeps the room, you find several fighters engaged in close-quarters combat, each utilizing strategic maneuvers in an attempt to overcome their opponent.

313 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was established in 2015 by Fabio Lima. Lima, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, holds a black belt in Brazilian jujitsu and has trained for 20 years. Through 313 BJJ, he fulfills his mission of helping fighters find growth in their lives.

Fighters from diverse backgrounds gather at this Detroit gym, united by their shared passion for Brazilian jujitsu and the common goal of self-improvement. Each fighter comes in to overcome a different issue, whether mental, physical or spiritual.

One special brown belt fighter, Zach Mabey, 31, found a home at 313 BJJ. Mabey lives on the lower east side of Detroit. This gym helped him overcome a great loss in life.

After Mabey lost his brother in 2017, he was stuck. Many of his family lived far away from him, and he didn’t have a direct support system. That’s when he found solace in his 313 BJJ.

“I spent a lot of time traveling and being lost. Until I came back to jujitsu.” Mabey said. “I started training every day, if I could. Those guys there all became my family.”

After taking a break from practicing Brazilian jujitsu to grieve the death of his brother, Mabey found solace in the community he had found at 313 BJJ.

“Participating in something so physically intense like jujitsu just calms people,” Mabey said. “You're ‘in the fire’ every day. When you have to deal with challenges so often on the mat in the training room, it just makes regular stressful things in life not seem so difficult. I try to stay calm in all sorts of difficult situations in the gym, which allows me to carry that mental fortitude to my not-jujitsu life."

Mabey hopes to return what 313 BJJ gave him when he most needed it.

Lima also founded Grapple in the Temple, a local tournament held at the Masonic Temple. People studying jujitsu from across Michigan gather to compete.

When the pandemic closed the gym, Lima went from 210 students to 70 students within three days; only his core students stayed. But he’s grateful for the support.

“Jujitsu, ‘the gentle art’ is special in many ways. It can be practiced by anyone at any age, you can train with 100% effort daily without worrying about major brain damage, and it has major mental and physical benefits,” Lima said. “The most important benefit, in my opinion, is you can become friends with people you wouldn't be able to otherwise. All types of people train Brazilian jujitsu from lawyers, doctors, judges, politicians, construction workers, etc. … Everyone is the same once they step on those mats.”

313 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is at 4884 Grand River Avenue in Detroit. Go to the 313 BJJ website, or call 313- 334-3393 for more information.

“313 BJJ is here to help people become a better version of themselves,” Lima said. “We are not just here to make fighters; we are here to help everyone reach their goals. Some people want to become jujitsu champions, some just want to learn some self-defense, some just want to have a place to go to have friends, and some want to lose weight. We are here for everyone regardless of how they want to use jujitsu to their benefit. Everyone is always welcome at 313 BJJ."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: After loss, local Brazilian jujitsu gym gives hope to a Detroit fighter